


Paper

by stardropdream (orphan_account)



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-03
Updated: 2013-02-03
Packaged: 2017-11-28 03:02:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/669537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/stardropdream
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Japan's attempts at keeping Greece awake during one of the world meetings is successful, but not quite in the way he'd intended.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Paper

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on LJ July 23, 2009.

He was sleeping again.   
  
Japan frowned from his seated position on the opposite end of the table. On the other side, Greece sat back in his chair, balancing it on two legs and snoozing peacefully, just as he always did. Thankfully, America hadn’t seemed to notice yet (or he had seen and didn’t care), as he was caught up in a heavy discussion (read: argument) with England and France. Germany’s grip on his pen was growing ever tighter and Japan sighed, used to the usual antics of the world meetings and wishing that for once the meeting could run smoothly.   
  
Greece’s head lolled to the side, cheek resting against his shoulder. His eyebrows knitted together for a moment, furrowed in concentration, before he snorted in his sleep, lips twitching into the tiniest of smiles.   
  
Japan looked down at the notes spread out before him, and then looked back at America—who was busy throttling France, whilst England plummeted them both with his fists—and then back at Greece, who had yet to awaken from all the yelling. Germany looked as if he were about to shout out an interruption and possibly set the meeting back on course.   
  
He shifted through his notes and pulled out a clean sheet of paper. He wrote out a simple, polite note and then began folding the sheet into an effortless paper airplane. He glanced at his fellow nations, making sure attention was steadily directed away from him, before he leaned forward, airplane poised between finger and thumb, face set in concentration as he aimed. He realized, belatedly, that his tongue was poking out of the corner of his mouth as he focused, but excluding the blush that painted over his cheeks with that realization, he did nothing to remedy his behavior. He threw the airplane and it hit its mark, striking the center of Greece’s forehead before dropping helpfully into his lap.  
  
Greece snorted again and jerked his head up, blinking a few times and locking eyes with Japan. Then his gaze shifted down and he yawned as he picked up the airplane. He glanced at Japan before examining the crisp, impressive craftsmanship of such a simple folding technique. Japan felt his blush increase when Greece looked up at him and gave him a small smile.   
  
He unfolded the plane and stared at the sheet of paper for a moment. His eyebrows furrowed as he tried to work out the Japanese writing—and Japan realized too late that perhaps he should have written it in Greek for him, as the man was still learning Japanese—before the Grecian flipped the paper to the proper side up. He looked up at Japan again and flashed him a slightly dopey smile, embarrassed at the elementary mistake.   
  
_Please pay attention,_ the letter instructed.   
  
Greece regarded the paper a moment before lifting his own pen and writing something beneath Japan’s writing.   
  
He dropped the pen and grasped the paper, but instead of making a paper plane, he slowly and steadily ripped the bottom part of the rectangle loose leaf paper into a square, and began folding it. Japan watched, curiously, not even pretending to pay attention to the bickering going on at the other end of the table—now complete with Germany, and even a few tentative interruptions from Spain.   
  
Greece looked up after he’d completed his mission—an origami crane.   
  
He grinned his loopy smile as he held it up proudly, sitting in the flat palm of his hand. Then he leaned forward, squinting at Japan with one eye closed, aiming towards the other nation. Then with a flick of one finger, the crane went soaring across the table and hit Japan squarely in the chest.   
  
Japan fumbled and unfolded the clumsily constructed crane, smoothing it out to read Greece’s sloppy handwriting in Greek: _Pay attention for me._   
  
Japan frowned and when he looked up again, Greece was resting his chin in his hand, smiling at him and winking (though Japan very adamantly refused to acknowledge that such a crude act had taken place during a world meeting, of all times). He struggled not to blush too strongly, as that substantially lessened the impact of his withering deadpan he was sending Greece’s way.   
  
He bent over the paper again and wrote out quickly, _That wouldn’t be proper, you should get more sleep at night if you’re so tired all the time._  
  
He smoothed out the ripped edge Greece left after making the crane and folded the quickly wrinkling paper into a rabbit, before tossing it across the table (after a hasty look around to make sure no one had noticed). Greece unrolled it and snorted a soft laugh, smile softening as he shifted, rolling his shoulders and cracking his spine as he straightened, only to bend over the paper and write out another message.   
  
When Japan received it back, he read, _I grow tired of all the endless bickering. Napping helps pass the time._   
  
Japan hated to admit, even to himself, that he agreed with such a sentiment. So rarely did the world meetings achieve anything of worth, in his humble opinion (which he very rarely voiced in these situations). Very quickly, they dissolved into a back-and-forth, with each scribbling notes to one another and folding them into different origami shapes—or for the case of Greece, once he ran out of ones he knew, resolved to folding it into the shape of an American football and finger-punting it across the table towards Japan’s outstretched hands.   
  
_It still isn’t wise to just fall asleep. One of these days there may be trouble.  
  
The others are too busy fighting with each other to concern themselves with someone like me.  
  
You never know.  
  
There is not much that I can offer to these meetings.  
  
You sell yourself short.  
  
If it means that I can sleep during these boring meetings, then yes. I suppose I am._  
  
They continued on in such a fashion, and before Japan even realized it, they’d deterred off away from the meeting and instead discussed things that Greece dubbed Very Important; they discussed the moon, the food in New York, cats and their various habits, and the approaching summer heat. Japan wasn’t even pretending to pay attention now, and Greece never did even feign attentiveness during this, so it was probably for the best.   
  
Though Japan was in the process of folding a new sheet of paper—their old one was wrinkled and ripped—into the shape of a dragonfly when a voice called out, “Japan, what do you think?”  
  
The nation froze, fingers poised where he was folding the paper, and he looked up slowly towards where America was looking at him expectantly, leaning forward over the table and peering at him over the rims of his glasses. Japan realized with some dread that most, if not all, of the nations were turning towards him (he said mostly because it seemed as if France was on the floor and Russia was looking out the window, bored).   
  
“Um,” Japan said after a pregnant pause, and frowned at his own inability to at least sound intelligent and attentive. “I agree with Mr. America.”   
  
This seemed to be the right answer.   
  
“Ha! You see!” America shouted triumphantly. Japan released a sigh and sat up a bit straighter.  
  
England flared up instantly, “That’s what he _always_ says, you brat. The point is moot!”   
  
“I don’t even know what that means!” America shouted and very quickly the two English-speaking nations descended into chaos once again, fighting and kicking at one another.   
  
Japan slumped and glanced over at Greece, who was smiling apologetically. Japan looked down again at his piece of paper, unfolded it, and, beneath his earlier note about where to find at least semi-acceptable Japanese food in America’s city, he wrote, _I wasn’t paying attention._  
  
Greece’s reply was short: _So it would seem. I wonder if that was your intention when you started this?_  
  
Japan wrote back, _You aren’t napping now._  
  
Greece laughed, and his eyes sparkled as he wrote and returned the note in the shape of a crane again. _So it would seem. This meeting should be over soon, should we go and see if that restaurant you mentioned earlier is any good, after this?_  
  
Japan couldn’t help but think that that was the best idea he’d heard all day. He smiled back at Greece and nodded.


End file.
